


Death Has Silver Eyes

by Just_One_Of_Clockwork_Thoughts



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, First episode resurrection, Gen, Grimm - Freeform, Grimm with souls, Homosexual characters, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Transgender Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-07-15 10:29:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7218865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_One_Of_Clockwork_Thoughts/pseuds/Just_One_Of_Clockwork_Thoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Beacon Dance was supposed to be a night of fun. Instead, for Ruby Rose, it was a night of death and revelations. In the space of an hour, her world was changed forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Give Up On Making Sense Of All This Right Now

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, and welcome to another RWBY AU from me.  
> This has been a lot of fun to write, and without any further ado,  
> Enjoy chapter 1!

“Weiss! Weiss! Wake up!  Please, Weiss, please, just please, wake up!” Ruby screamed, her voice hoarse. She shook the prone girl heavily by her shoulders, to no avail.

Blood spread in a sticky crimson pool from Weiss's body, originating from a massive, jagged gash across the heiress's chest. Her beautiful ice blue eyes were wide and unblinking, staring up at Ruby in seeming accusation at what she had done.

A single misaimed swing of Crescent Rose had cut the heiress almost in half.

_ This wasn't supposed to happen! She was supposed to be hit! Not you! _

Ruby pressed her head into her partner's chest, sobbing desperately, her own black, shadowy blood mixing with Weiss's crimson. The contrast never occurred to Ruby. Not did it occur to her to question the red lines fading into existence across her body. All that mattered to her was that she had killed Weiss.

Something within her shattered, and so too did reality.

…

…

A pair of strong arms pulled Ruby up from her position. She went along listlessly, not noticing the red plating on the outside of black gloves.

“Ruby. Focus.” A woman's voice said. “Look at me, alright?”

She slowly turned her head, coming face to face with an ornate white mask.

Something within her soul stirred as she felt a deep red Aura touch her own. 

Ruby became aware of her surroundings again, and her first instinct was, oddly enough, not to pull herself away from this woman who felt so much like a Grimm, but rather, to press herself against her.

She ignored her instincts, however, and turned to where she knew she would see something she never wanted to see, and yet had to anyway.

She didn't see what she had expected.

The slash across Weiss's chest no longer existed, and it looked like the girl was breathing. On the other hand, her skin was the color of paper, and had black and red tainted veins at the edges of her face.

Ruby froze as her mind attempted to process this.

_ What. _

She slowly turned back to the woman, and repeated her mental question aloud.

“What? What is…”

The woman cut her off.

“I'll explain later. Now is neither the time nor the place.”

The woman let go of Ruby's shoulders, and kneeled down to pick up Weiss.

“Don't. I'll… do that.” Ruby realized how odd her voice had begun to sound. It sounded… hollow, as if it were an echo. But it still conveyed emotion, or a traumatized lack thereof.

Ruby kneeled down to pick up the heiress as the woman stood up. It was then that she noticed that her own skin was as pale as Weiss’s, and that red, glowing lines traced themselves across her skin, forming odd, but familiar patterns.

_ Why do I have Grimm lines? _

She stopped and started at the patterns on her arms fire a few seconds, then gave up trying to understand. She hoped the women would explain, as she said she would.

Ruby picked up Weiss in a variant of a hold commonly known as a “princess carry”, with Weiss's head supported by being partially leaned against Ruby’s shoulder, and stood up, looking in a way that could be described as expectant, if it held any emotion at all.

The woman turned, and drew a sword from a strange, but almost familiar scabbard on her hip, the red blade elongating almost instantly to nearly its wielder’s height. She turned, and slashed the blade across empty space. Ruby watched as the sword seemed to cut a gash in reality, a black and red hole in existence.

[Follow me, and close your eyes.]

The voice of the woman spoke again, in Ruby’s head, and the woman reached out and took hold of Ruby’s right elbow, gently leading her forward. Ruby closed her eyes as she had been told, no longer caring enough to question the woman.

…

…

Ruby sat on her bed in Team RWBY’s dorm room, as Weiss lay in it next to her, her skin tone returned to its normal color, and the black and red tainted veins had disappeared, or were at least no longer visible. Ruby had also reverted to her normal tone, and the Grimm lines has faded again.

The woman stood near the window, staring out of it. She had removed the Grimm mask she wore, letting Ruby see her face. She was so familiar it almost scared Ruby, except that the woman extruded a sense of calm and safety and (you are protected).

It was Ruby who broke the silence first. 

“Who are you? What did… What happened to Weiss? What happened to me? What-”

The woman held up a hand to silence her.

“My name is Raven Branwen. Some of these I'll answer. But not all. Which one first?”

_ Raven… Branwen? Yang's missing mother? Qrow’s sister? _

Ruby pushed the thoughts aside, and asked the most important question she could think of.

“What happened to Weiss?”

Raven grinned a lopsided mirthless half-smile.

“She died. You killed her. By you also didn't let her stay dead.”

Ruby took a several seconds to process that.

“What?” She finally asked.

“You took her soul when she died, reconstructed her body to be like yours, and reinserted her soul back into it.”

Ruby took several more seconds to process that.

“How? And what do you mean, ‘like mine’?”

Raven folded her arms and leaned back against the chest of drawers say in front of the window, half-sitting on its edge.

“You're like me. And Qrow. And Summer.”

Ruby flinched slightly at hearing her mother's name.

“What do you mean?”

“You are a Grimm. A Grimm born in human shape, and with a soul, but nevertheless, a Creature of Grimm. So am I, so is Qrow, and so was Summer.”

When she said Summer's name, her expression softened, and her eyes defocused slightly.

_ I'm… A Grimm? _

“I don't believe you.” Ruby said, staring defiantly into Raven's blood-red eyes.

Raven smirked, removed her right hand's glove/gauntlet, and brought the hand up to her mouth. She paused a second, then bit down on it, and Ruby could see that all of of Raven's teeth were jagged and sharp.

It took her a second to realize the blood dripping out of Raven's mouth and down her hands was black and shadowy and somewhat ethereal as opposed to the crimson and rather substantial blood she was used to coming from people's injuries.

In that second, she knew Raven was not lying about herself.

“Wha… You really are Grimm.” She was rather shaken by the display.

Raven took her hand out of her mouth, and grinned at Ruby, her teeth strained with her own shadowy blood.

“Yes, I am. And so are you. But we're not normal Grimm. We have souls. And because of this fact, our nature as Grimm is different.”

“I’m… I'm still not sure I believe you.”

Raven smirked again, and shook her head in mind amusement.

“Then why don't you test that for yourself? Do what I did.” She suggested. The cut on her hand had already healed.

Ruby nodded, and hesitantly brought her hand to her mouth, and bit down.

She tasted blood, the usual shadowy-tasting _ -wait what!? _

Ruby yanked her hand out of her mouth, staying at the black, shadowy blood dripping from it. In shock, she realized this was not a surprise. She had always bled shadows, and this wasn't abnormal her.

“See? You're like me. And with good reason.” Raven was still smirking.

“What reason?”

“That's a question for another time. Do you have any other ones?”

“What do you mean, ‘our nature as Grimm is different’”? Ruby asked, curious.

_ I give up on making sense of all this right now. _

“Even among souled Grimm, you and I are unique. Your power that you used to being the Schnee Heiress back, for example. Even I cannot mimic it, and I have powers you cannot mimic.”

“Like? And why can't you?”

Raven sighed. 

“I may demonstrate later. For now, however, just know that they exist. On the second query, it is because you and I have different… natures dispite our… connection. I will not speak more of that now, so please… do not ask.” Raven looked pained as she said the last sentence.

_ Alright, then. I guess that's one place I'm not pressing further tonight. _

“Again, what do you mean, our natures?”

Raven sighed. 

“The power you demonstrated tonight, and the others of its ilk you possess, can only be used by a single Grimm. It is the same with the powers I wield. I am the only Grimm, or indeed, individual on Remnant that can use those abilities.”

She paused briefly.

"There are two more Grimm like us, and four humans or faunus who’s powers behave similarly in that only one can have them at a time.”

“How are the powers passed on? I wasn't both with these, was I?” Ruby asked, slightly overwhelmed by the information.

“No, you weren't. I can vouch for that personally.” Raven smiled, apparently at the memory. Then her expression darkened.

“The only way to gain these powers of Grimm… Is to kill the previous holder. Or to be the one they were thinking about as they died, if they were not killed by another being with a soul. The powers of the humans and faunus they I mentioned are always passed to the one the wielder thinks of in their dying moments. They are called maidens, and are named after seasons, if you were unaware.”

“Seasonal Maidens? Sounds kinda familiar.” Ruby frowned as she both processed the information, and tried to recall where she had heard of the Seasonal Maidens before.

_ … _

_ “Amber's been attacked. The assailant took half of her Fall Maiden power.” _

_ “Fuck. But why only half?” _

_ “I arrived.” _

_ “Well done. But that's not the end of things. We need to alert the others, maidens and otherwise.” _

_ “Consider it done.” _

_ … _

Ruby glanced up as she remembered. It was from an exchange between her uncle Qrow and a man she had only recognized from television broadcasts: Atlasian General James Ironwood. She had had no clue what would result in a general meeting with a perpetually drunk huntsman of little reputation, and decided to listen in on the meeting. It had not done her any good at all, as she had not understood what they were talking about, and had stopped eavesdropping on them within a few minutes.

“I remember now. Something about someone named Amber and her powers being stolen and Drunkle Qrow interfering.” Ruby told Raven.

“Correct. Amber was the Fall Maiden, and half of her powers were stolen by a woman named Cinder Fall. The same woman you and Weiss faced tonight. Several of the abilities she demonstrated were powers of the Fall Maiden.”

Ruby looked down as she processed this new information.

Beside her, Weiss groaned. Ruby turned to look at her.

“She's waking up. I should best not be here when she does.” Raven said, catching the sound, and sliding her mask back on.

“Before you go, two questions. Who had my powers before I did, and what are we called? The Grimm like us?”

“We are called the Riders of Grimm. You are the Pale Rider. I am the Red Rider. And…” Raven's voice cracked with grief.

“Summer Rose. She was the last Pale Rider.”

_ What!? _

“What!? Hey, wait!” Ruby leaned forward to try and ask a final question, but Raven drew her sword and slashed another portal into existence, which she walked through as if she hadn’t heard Ruby.

Ruby leaned back, overwhelmed by the last… _ Hour? More? Less? _ She was tired now, but Weiss was where she usually lay, and she had no intention of moving the heiress.

_ I killed you, and brought you back. _ She thought, looking at her partner, her friend… And hopefully, one day, much, much more than that.

_ I'm sorry, Weiss. But at least you're okay. _

Ruby smiled, and curled up in a ball at the end of the bed, still pondering the night's events and information gained.

…

…

{End of Chapter 1}


	2. Does He Teleport Or Something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry that this took so long! I've been a bit busy, and also kept re-writing this chapter.  
> Anyway, thank you for being patient with me! And without further delay,  
> Please Enjoy!

Ruby awoke to Weiss shaking her heavily.

“Come on, wake up, Ruby! Ozpin wants you in his office in an hour! Come on, get up!”

“Wha?” Ruby blinked the last bit of sleep from her eyes, and uncurled from her position, realizing that she had been left at the end of Weiss's bed. 

The first thing she noticed was that all of her senses were a lot sharper than she was used to. The room's lights were off and the curtain was drawn shut, but to her it seemed almost no different than if the opposite were true. In addition, the colors were far more vibrant, and shades normally almost indistinguishable were now noticeably different.

Ruby heard Team JNPR across the hall, and could even make out the conversation easily, which was, predictably, about last night's dance. 

She could feel almost every individual thread of the clothing she wore, which, she noted, was still the bloodstained dress from the Beacon Dance. She could even smell the blood on it quite easily.  _ Wait, what? _

Everything came rushing back to her, and she nearly curled into a ball as a flood of emotion rolled over her.

“Ruby?” Weiss was looking at her, frowning. “Are you alright? You don't look well, and is that…?” She leaves in, looking at the front of Ruby's dress. Her eyes went wide, and she slowly tilted her head to look up at Ruby's face.

“Why are you covered in blood?”

“Weiss, I'm not…”

“Did someone hurt you?” Weiss asked, her voice a dangerous tone of quiet fury.

“No, I-It’s not my blood, Weiss.”

“Ruby, if someone hurt you, there's no need to cover it up.” Weiss slowly straightened up as she spoke.

“No one hurt me, Weiss. It's not my blood.”

“Okay. I believe you.” The heiress said, then smiled, before frowning again. “Then, who's is it?”

“Don't worry about it, Weiss.” Ruby told her. 

_ [It’s yours.] _

“Did you say something?” Weiss asked her, suddenly.

“No, why?” Ruby responded.  _ [What did you hear?] _

“I'm not sure. I thought you said something, but I didn't catch what it was.” Weiss said.

“I didn't-” Ruby began, then stopped, and tried something she didn't expect to work.

_ [Can you hear me?]  _ She thought at Weiss.

“Yes, I can hear you. Why?”

_ [Try and notice where my voice is coming from.]  _

Weiss was already looking at her as she mentally spoke, and seemed to realize that Ruby's mouth wasn't moving as she talked. The heiress's eyes went wide, and she took a step back as a current of shock briefly shot through the heiress's Aura.

“How-?” 

_ [I think it has to do with what happened last night. And… Some things about me that I don't want to talk about.]  _ She added.  _ [Try thinking at me. I want to see if this goes both ways.] _

[Why?]

_ [Yes! It works! I heard that!]  _ Ruby smiled, pleased.

[Ruby, what's going on? And what do you mean, “some things about you”?] Weiss seemed to be rather startled, but she still wasn't speaking aloud, which, for some reason, amused Ruby.

_ [I'll explain after I've spoken with Professor Ozpin, which you said I have to do on about an hour. I need to get cleaned up before then, though.] _

“Yes, yes you do.” Weiss said aloud, as if she weren't quite comfortable with mentally communicating.

_ Isn’t this called telepathy?  _ Ruby wondered as she stood up, then realized that she hadn't sent that thought, and asked it aloud.

“Isn't that called telepathy?”

Weiss looked over at her from in front of the dresser in front of the window, and Ruby felt her Aura returning to normal.

“Yes, it is.”

…

…

“Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here.” Ruby paused for a second, then added, “It wasn't me.”

The other three occupants of the office didn't seem to be amused.

“Thank you for coming, Ruby. How are you feeling?” Professor Ozpin asked, seeming annoyed, but Ruby couldn't tell if it was with her, or the other two occupants of the room, Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood, who were glaring at each other out of the corners of their eyes.

“I'm fine, professor, but, if I may ask, why did you want to see me?”

“Last night's events.” Ironwood spoke up, looking at Ruby now, instead of Glynda.

Ruby instantly tensed up slightly, and her senses heightened yet again.

“What about last night?” She said, carefully keeping her voice neutral, and trying to ignore the scent of alcohol that she could now smell, along with a small digital-sounding hum emanating from the general.

“Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could.” Ironwood told her, somewhat dodging the question.

“Thank you?” Ruby still wasn't sure as to the purpose of the meeting, and was rather apprehensive.

_ Relax, Ruby. There's no way they could know about you. Except maybe Ozpin. _

“Now, the general here has already informed of the events that... Transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add.” Ozpin now spoke, looking at her intensely. Ruby immediately knew that he knew about her.

“Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?” Glynda spoke up as well.

“I... I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked.” Ruby responded, relieved that the line of questioning was on the woman, rather than on her and Weiss.  _ Glynda may not know. _

“Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby.” The young _ -Well, she looks young, anyway- _ professor commented.

“Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone.” Ironwood replied, seeming skeptical.

“Wait. You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?” Ruby asked. [ _ And how much aren't you telling me?] _

“It's possible. But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together.” Ozpin replied.

[Unfortunately, quite a bit.] The headmaster of Beacon told her, mentally. [And I can't explain all of it right now. Now, did she say anything, even if it was just something you overheard?]

Ruby pretended to think about anything else she noticed, before speaking out loud, telling the others present about what she has learned previously, durning Blake and Sun's infiltration of a White Fang meeting 

“Actually, I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something, in the southeast. Just outside the Kingdom.”

_ [Please don't ask how I learned this.] _

“Interesting.” Ozpin commented, but whether it was at the information, or Ruby's telepathic comment, she didn't know.

“I thought you said the intruder never-’ Glynda began to speak, before the older professor cut her off.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby. Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you.” 

“Any time.” Ruby said as she turned to leave.

“And Miss Rose, please try and be ... Discreet about this matter.” 

“Yes sir.”

…

…

“That was a risky move.” Weiss commented. [When are you going to explain?]

“No, I think you handled it well.” Blake disagreed.

[When I know enough to explain. Now, please, I can't carry on two conversations once.]

“I hope so.” Ruby said aloud, responding to Blake. 

“I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby. Oh, I know what will cheer you up!” And with that, Yang produced a package the roughly the size of her torso out of nowhere.

“What's that?” Ruby asked, mildly confused at both the package, and at Yang apparently pulling it out of nowhere.  _ Then again, she does that a lot. _

“I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!” Yang informed her sister, who bounced excitedly.

“Ooooh! Something from home!”

Ruby abruptly wrapped herself around Yang, trying to take the package out of her hands, and accidentally opening it in the process.

A small grey corgi fell out of said package, and barked twice.

“Zwei!” Ruby bounced excitedly, as the dog bounced excitedly as well, and Blake hid atop Ruby's bunk.

“He sent a dog?” Blake sounded incredulous.

“Oh, he does stuff like this all the time!” Yang assured Blake.

“Your father or your dog?”

“Are you telling me that this mangy… Drooling... Mutt is going to wiv wif us foweva? Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!” In the space of a single sentence, Weiss was overcome by Zwei’s cuteness, and devolved into baby-talking the corgi.

“Please keep him away from my belongings.” Blake said from her position atop Ruby's bed.

“Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?” Glynda's voice over the PA system briefly interrupted the girls.

“Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for the week.” Weiss noted as Ruby set him down, and he immediately walked over to the bunk beds and barked at the cat faunus hiding on the top bunk.

“Look, there's a letter!” Yang informed the others, then read it aloud. “‘Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.’”

Several cans of dog food spoiled out of the package as soon as she finished reading.

“What is he supposed to do with that?” Weiss asked, and immediately afterwards, a can opener fell out of the package add well, bouncing off of Zwei's head on the way down.

“Well, that settles it! Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!” Yang announced as she began to leave.

“Oh, I'll miss you so much, we're going to be best friends, I can't wait to see you, I can't believe how cute you are.” Weiss's speech deteriorated into incomprehensibility as she spoke to Zwei.

_ [Really, Weiss?] _

[Shush.] Weiss told her from the hall.

_ Well, I want to bring him along, too... _

Blake leaped from Ruby's bed to the table in the corner of the room, and then out of the door, as Ruby looked down at the small canine.

_ I've got an idea. _

_ … _

_ … _

“Quiet! Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin.” Glynda told the assembled students, and as she said that, Professor Ozpin took the microphone.

“Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best.” With that, the headmaster of Beacon Academy stepped away from the microphone as the assembled students began to file or if the auditorium, and Ruby had to suppress a laugh as she noticed the contrast between uniforms. While the students from Atlas, Mistral, and Vale were in uniforms, the students from Vacuo… Weren't, and their attire could best be described as 'Hey, we're all wearing shirts now! And they're actually buttoned!’.

Ruby turned back to her team, and refocused on the situation at hand.

“This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!”

“Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!” Yang subbed very excited by the idea.

“Let's check 'search and destroy’!” Weiss suggested, and the team walked over to the nearest screen.

“Here we go! Quadrant five needs Grimm cleared out!” Ruby said, looking at the mission select and information screen. For some reason, despite the fact that she now knew that she was a Grimm, the prospect of wiping out her own kind filled her with anticipation, even more so than before.

“Well, it's in the southeast!” Blake said, looking at the location.

“Sounds perfect!” Yang noted.

Ruby brought up the mission reserve screen, and typed in her team's name, only for a message to pop up, informing her that first year students were not allowed to take the mission, much to her annoyance.

_ Great. _

“Wonderful!” Weiss sounded much like Ruby felt.

“Any other ideas?” Blake asked the other members of the team.

“We mail ourselves there!” Ruby jokingly suggested.

“Well, that's one option.” Ozpin's voice said, before he appeared out of nowhere.

_ Does he teleport or something? _

“Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you four will make your way there no matter which job you choose.” 

“Whatever makes you say that?” Ruby asked, nervously rubbing the back of her head as her team glared at her.

“I'm still curious how you all found yourself at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago.” Ozpin informed them. _ “ _ I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?” He continued, then removed his scroll from absolutely nowhere, selected a few this on it, and put it away again. As he did so, the screen beeped.

“We won't let you down. Thank you, professor.” Ruby assured the headmaster, and thanked him.

“Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. Good luck.”

…

…

“That wasn't exactly uplifting.” Yang commented.

“But it’s the truth.” Came Blake’s response.

“It's gonna to be tough, but I know we can do it!” Ruby said.

Another student ran past the team.

“Hey! Team CFVY is back!” He informed them as he passed.

Team RWBY followed him, and clustered with the other Beacon students around the returning team.

“Velvet? Are you okay?” Blake asked the returning student, who was looking at the ground, and seeming rather tired.

“I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me.”

“Your mission was supposed to end a  _ week _ ago! What happened?” Weiss asked her.

“Nothing happened. It was just ... There were just so many…” She looked up, noticed the others’ worried expressions, and laughed. “Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine.”

_ So, lots of… My kind… Well, this ought to be strange. And fun. _

“Right.” Yang said, as if she wasn’t quite convinced.

“I should go. Be safe, okay?” With that, Velvet left.

“We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now.” Ruby told the others. WIth every passing second, she grew more impatient.

_ Let’s go! I wanna start killing other Grimm and investigating already! _

“Right.” Blake said, nodding in agreement, almost as if Ruby had accidentally sent her the thought.

“Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!” Ruby continued.  _ Which may be a complication. _

“Yeah!” Yang sounded excited as well, and for a split second, an undercurrent of black shot through her Aura.

…

…

“Why, hello girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?” Professor Oobleck asked the team, dressed as if he were about to go on a desert trip. Ruby stared in confusion.

_ What. _

…

…

{End Chapter 2}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry this took so long, and thank you for your patience!  
> As always, please let me know how you think this was!


	3. I'll Ask The Next Time We Meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry this took so long! I ran into some... Personal issues again.   
> Without further ado,  
> Please enjoy!

“Professor Oobleck?”

Weiss’s mouth hung slightly open in shock as she stared at the professor in front of Team RWBY.

_ Why… Him? _

“Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission.” He told them, pacing rapidly in front of the girls as he spoke. “I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And…” He stopped pacing, and abruptly shot to right in front of Weiss. “It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!” The professor said, indignantly, before rapidly backing away again.

_ [I say we swap his coffee with decaf.] _ Ruby told Weiss, contributing her thoughts on Doctor Oobleck.

[Agreed.] Weiss responded, apparently still slightly uncomfortable with the telepathy, but rapidly growing used to it.

“Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind… Schedule!” He clarified, then again shot off, this time to the airship docked farther ahead.

“Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oobleck-Okay, yeah, when you say it out loud it sounds worse.” Ruby said, trying to cheer up her team, before her cheer abruptly faded too.

“Save the world?” Nora’s voice sounded from behind them.

[And I still say that our kind’s obsession with destroying other members of it is a symptom of a species-wide psychosis. If we can be called that.] Their voice also sounded in Ruby’s head, saying something entirely different to what they had just said aloud.

[I never said that you were wrong. What I said is that the tendency to go, for lack of a better term, “Ax-Crazy” when regular Grimm are introduced to the equation increases based on both how much Grimm blood one has, and whether or not one is aware of their… Heritage.] Ren’s voice now sounded, and made Ruby stop dead in her tracks.

_ Wait, WHAT! _

“You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren…” Nora looked at Ren as they spoke aloud, giving no outside hint at the telepathic conversation they were having, or its contents. Ren, for his part, just turned away from Nora slightly in response to his teammate.

[You caught that, right, Ruby?] Weiss asked her, her confusion evident.

“Sounds exciting. Where ya going?” Jaune asked the other team.

_ [Yes, and I don’t know either. I’ll ask in a second.] _

“Oh, just outside the kingdom…” Ruby replied absently, still dwelling on the absurd conversation that she had apparently caught the tail end of.

_ [What? Was that?]  _ Ruby mentally asked Nora.

“Hey, so are we!” Nora spoke up again, as they casually turned to Ruby.

[Oh, Ren and I were discussing that half-Grimm and Grimm with souls tend to want to destroy regular Grimm to a much greater extent than most, and that it seems to somewhat depend on how Grimm one is, and if you know if you’re a Grimm or not.] They responded to her mental query, causing her to miss the next few seconds of conversation.

“Then you can party with us tonight!” Neptune called, as he and Sun approached the two teams. “We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges.”

Jaune seemed to be awestruck at this, but Ruby barely heard him, instead pressing Nora for more details.

_ [How do you know this? And how can you do this, too?] _

[Ren? You want to tell her?] Nora smirked.

[Nora and I are half Grimm.] Ren bluntly stated. 

“We normally go to the city with you guys,  _ which _ means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... normal.” Sun said, oblivious to the mental conversation. Everyone smirked slightly at his words, even Ruby, who still wasn’t paying very much attention.

_ [Okay.]  _ Ruby responded.  _ [Only half?] _

[Yeah. And, no, we can’t explain it either.]

[She didn’t ask you to.] Weiss spoke up. [And I don't really believe you, but at this point, I’m not going to question it. I'm just going to smile and nod.]

[And add another person to the telepathic chatroom.] Nora commented.

“Four minutes, ladies!” Oobleck called, interrupting everyone.

Well, uh… Wish us luck!” Ruby pushed the conversation to the back of her mind, threw her friends a thumbs-up, and began to walk to the airship. 

“Good luck!” Nora called, and for a split second, Ruby caught a current of black shooting across their Aura.

…

…

“I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter.” Yang told the professor.

“I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles.” Oobleck replied.

Ruby wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation as she stared down at her scroll, but still kept an ear on it. She was far more eager than normal, she realized, to land and begin hunting.

_ Well, they got that right. I do have a bit of a preoccupation with killing Grimm. Why, though? _

“Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!” Oobleck continued.

“What does history have to do with this?” Weiss asked, as Ruby flipped to the next page in the text she was supposedly reading, a short essay on their destination.

“Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager.” Oobleck’s metaphor died by the beginning of his third sentence.   
“And that means..?” Weiss queried, Oobleck having not actually answered the question.

“The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!” Oobleck proclaimed.

“Mountain Glenn.” Ruby stated, still looking down, but not really seeing the pages as she flipped through them.

“That's right! It was an expansion of Vale... but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city.” Yang now spoke up again, and Ruby shivered slightly as another black current shot through her sister’s Aura.

“Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder.” Oobleck said.

“And a likely place for a hideout.” Blake spoke for the first time since they had left the Academy.

“Precisely!”

…

…

Ruby leapt from the airship as it slowed over the ruins of Mountain Glenn. Normally she'd have drawn Crescent Rose as she did so, but her sharper-than-human senses and her instincts told her that, much to her disappointment, there were no other Grimm about, and thus she didn't bother drawing her weapon.  _ I really am getting bloodthirsty. _

“Ladies! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?” Oobleck told them as soon as they were all on the ground, they abruptly turned to Ruby. “Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school.”

“But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't.” She responded, grappling for any excuse.

“She's not wrong…” He muttered to himself. Then he spoke normally, talking to Ruby. “Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return.”

_ That won't work. _

“But I, well uh-” Oobleck interrupted her.

“Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-” He, in turn, was interrupted by Zwei's head popping out of the bag.

“Get back in the bag.” Ruby whispered to the corgi, who simply barked in response.

“We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... A dog? Genius!” The professor exclaimed, backing away from her, then abruptly grabbing and pulling Zwei out of Ruby's bag, twirling the canine in the air as he almost knocked Ruby down.

“Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!” He said, as the corgi barked happily in his hands.

_ [Well, that went better than expected.] _

[Yes, it certainly did.] Weiss responded to Ruby's comment.

“So, what are your orders, Doctor?” Blake asked.

“Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!” Oobleck said, then he dropped Zwei, and assembled himself into a serious pose. “As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being…”

“Grimm.” Ruby suddenly interrupted him as her sharper-than-human hearing detected the shuffling pattern of a Beowulf's footsteps, and she caught a dark feeling of empty, hungry, nothingness coated in unintelligent malice forming a tangible presence.

_ About one hundred yards away. _

“What?” Blake asked, and as she asked, Ruby turned to point behind them, as a Beowulf walked out onto the street.

The rest of Team RWBY drew their weapons, but Ruby, even with her bloodlust rising with every passing second, kept her weapon sheathed.  _ After all, I'd prefer to kill an entire pack, rather than just one. _

“Stop!” Oobleck commanded.

“There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent.”

“So… What now?” Weiss queried him.

“We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey.” The professor answered.

_ That won't be happening, as there's the rest of the pack.  _ Ruby thought, as she felt five move malicious voids join the first, and more footsteps sounded in the distance.

“How long do we wait?” Blake asked, turning back to look at the professor, as the other Grimm came into view. 

All six Grimm changed course slightly, and began to walk towards the group.

“No time at all. There's the rest of the pack, and they've seen us.” Ruby stated, drawing Crescent Rose.

“Go on, then. Show me what you're capable of.” Oobleck told them.

“Cover your ears, Zwei.” Ruby said, grinning, as she swung Crescent Rose up into the weapon's sniper rifle form, her bloodlust reaching a fever pitch.

Ruby activated her semblance, slowing time significant for her. She triggered two shots, then charged forwards, concerning Crescent Rose into her scythe form as she moved.

She slashed one Beowulf in half as she color with another one, jerking the sharp point of the weapon's haft into the Beowulf's forehead, killing it, and deactivating her semblance as she did so.

Ruby turned to watch as her bullets killed two of the other Grimm, and as Blake beheaded one.

The last Beowulf was rapidly taken care of by Yang, whose first blow almost tore the Grimm’s head apart.

Ruby smiled again as she felt her bloodlust fading.

“Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?”

…

…

“Excellent work, girls! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!” Oobleck bounced slightly as he continued forward, stepping over a Grimm's corpse. Ruby beckoned Zwei to follow her again as Yang spoke up.

“Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a "pro Huntsman" in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?” Yang sounded irritated. Ruby, on the other hand, didn't care. She was perfectly fine with her team being the ones who were wiping out Grimm.

“Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity!” The professor turned to face them. “Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination! Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that.”

“Well, yeah… Of course!” Yang responded, her voice becoming slightly more confident.

…

…

“I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon.” Oobleck threw his bag over to Yang. “You three, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... Creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby.”

[And now he’s going to interrogate you on why you became a huntress.] Weiss remarked.

_ [What makes you sure of that?] _

[That’s what he did to the rest of us.]

Ruby and Oobleck rounded a corner as Weiss told her, and Ruby stopped dead as she again felt the malice-covered empty hunger, only, this one was far stronger than she’d felt before.

A group of massive Grimm walked through the forest below, and she instantly knew that these Grimm were ancient, rather intelligent for the soulless members of her kind, and knew that she and Oobleck were there.

“They’re waiting.” Ruby remarked, walking up to stand beside Oobleck.

“Indeed.” With that, the professor began to walk away.

“Doctor Oobleck?” Ruby asked, turning around slightly.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been wondering…”

His footsteps stopped.

“Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?”

“Actually, I was wondering... Why did you want to become a Huntsman?”

She heard Oobleck draw in a breath as he considered his answer.

“Look around and tell me what you see.” He finally responded.

“Failure.” Ruby responded, and turned, walking back to beside him.

“I see lives that could have been saved.” The two began to walk again, the soft sounds of boots on stone and the even softer sounds of dog paws from Zewi next to them seeming to echo off of the ruined buildings.

“As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and  _ learn _ from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger.” He stopped briefly to give his final answer. “I am a Huntsman, Ruby, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be.”

…

…

Ruby sat down next to the fire in the center of the room that Team RWBY and their professor had made their camp for the night, and stared into its center.

“Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?” OObleck asked.

“Yo.” Ruby raised her arm, answering simply. The professor seemed satisfied, and rushed off again.

Ruby stood up, and began to walk over to one of the destroyed windows. 

“Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... What did you tell him?” Yang asked her.

“He didn’t.” Ruby responded. Something beyond the window had grabbed her attention. “Well, goodnight.” She said, absently.

_ [Goodnight, Weiss.] _

[Goodnight, Ruby.]

Ruby sat down quietly at the edge of the window a few seconds later.

_ [Raven. Can you hear me down there?] _

[Yes, I can. So, you’ve figured out how to speak this way.]

_ [Yes. With Weiss’s help. She knows that I can do this, and that something happened last night, but not what happened.] _

[I can tell you want to ask me something. What is it?] With that, the woman in the Nevermore mask on the street below turned to look up at her.

_ [If you’re Yang’s mother, then… Is she also…?] _

[Heh.] Raven chuckled. [She is only half Grimm. Taiyang is not like us.]

_ [If he’s not, then… How am I?]  _ Ruby asked, confused.

At this, Raven shook her head.

[He never told you, did he?]

_ [Never told me what?] _

[Taiyang Xiao Long is not your father.]

Ruby took several seconds to process this.

_ [If he isn’t then… Who? Uncle Qrow?] _

[Closer, but again, incorrect. I will tell you the next time we meet. Which I suspect will be soon. Goodbye for now, Ruby Rose.]

With that, the Grimm woman turned, slashed another tear in reality, and stepped through it.

Seconds after she left, Ruby realized that she never had asked why Raven was there.

_ I’ll ask the next time we meet. _

Ruby settled in, watching for any approaching Grimm, and began to consider Raven’s words as she absently patted Zwei.

…

…

{End Chapter 3}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm so sorry! I'll try to post something again by this time next week! Thank you for your patience!  
> As always, please let me know how you think this was!


	4. Zwei Is Decidedly Not A Beowulf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's a bit short!  
> Please enjoy!

Ruby sighed as she lowered Crescent Rose to her lap, gazing forlornly out from the window in which she sat. The only activity on the road below since Raven had left was a single Beowulf that had wandered into the street, and left a few minutes later. 

While she appreciated quiet watch shifts, the complete lack of anything was getting to her.

“Blake, are you awake?” Ruby heard Yang ask, easily catching the query with her heightened sense of hearing.

“Yeah.” Came the response.

“Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?” Yang queried the other girl.

“Maybe he was just curious.” Blake suggested, in a tone that gave away the fact that she didn't believe her own explanation.

“You think?”

“No.”

Ruby heard someone roll over, before Yang spoke again.

“Weiss, are you awake?”

“Of course I'm awake! You two are talking. And I think he... When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... Moral gray area.” 

“That's… Putting it lightly.” Blake commented.

“Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it.” Weiss finished.

_ [Well said.] _

[Thanks.]

“All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I-How can I undo so many years of hate?” Blake asked quietly, her voice showing sorrow at the past.

“I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake.” Yang told her, trying to cheer her up.

“But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leap behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!” Blake sounded even more sorrowful than before Yang had spoken, and Ruby decided to try something she wasn't certain would work.

_ [You are better than you think you are.] _ She mentally told Blake.

“At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today.” Yang, in turn, monologued at the others, and Ruby smiled at her sister's words.

“Well, she's still just a kid.” Weiss commented.

_ [Thanks.]  _ Ruby snarked.

“She's only two years younger. We're all kids.” Blake spoke up in Ruby's defense.

“Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!” Yang pointed out.

“It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second.” Weiss said, to which everyone fell silent, ending the conversation.

_ [Well said, Weiss.] _

[Thank you.]

…

…

“Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!” Ruby told the corgi, annoyed. The dog had gotten her up just to drag her outside just so the canine could… Mark his territory on some decrepit ruin of a building.

In response, Zwei barked at her.

“What was that?” Someone asked, and Ruby immediately hid behind a smaller piece of ruins.

_ Pay more attention, Ruby. You should have heard them, especially with these enhanced senses of yours. _ She chided herself.

“What was that?” A second voice also asked.

“I thought I heard a Beowulf or something.” The first replied. Ruby suppressed a chuckle.

_ Zwei is decidedly not a Beowulf. _

“Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps.” The second spoke again, and footsteps sounded, slowly getting fainter.

Ruby followed, flitting from cover piece to cover piece, her footsteps barely making any sound, even to her. She never moved out from cover while the teeth were near, even to look, tracking them by the sound if their footsteps.

After a short time, the two she had been tracking came to a ruined building that seemed as if someone had deliberately tried to fix up a bit, and, as she peeked out, she noted a large pair of metal doors adorned the front… And that the two she had been trailing were, in fact, White Fang.

She watched them enter the building, then ducked back behind her chosen piece of cover.

“Oh! This is it! This is it!” She whispered, excited, as she pulled out her scroll.

She tried to call the other members of her team, and only received a message informing her that she had low signal.

_ Time to try something else… _

_ [Weiss! Can you hear me!] _

[Ugh… Ruby… I'm trying to sleep… Why are you yelling?...] Weiss groaned.

_ [Weiss, I found them. I found the White Fang.]  _ Ruby felt Weiss instantly fully awaken.

[Where are you?] Weiss even sounded fully awake.

_ [I'm not sure. Zwei woke me up, and I heard a pair of guys walking around, and followers them back to a building. I guess it's their base or hideout.] _ Ruby began to run back in the direction of the team's camp, as quietly as she could while still moving fast.

[Probably. Get back here, I'll wake the others.]

_ [Already on my-Aaahhh!]  _ Ruby yelled as the ground beneath her and Zwei sunk, then caved in.

She immediately caught a ledge with one hand, and Zwei with the other. She tossed the dog up, onto solid ground, and began to climb up herself, only for the ledge to break, plummeting her down again.

As adrenaline coursed through her-or whatever the Grimm equivalent was-time slowed much more than usual, and Ruby felt… Strange. Her back felt even stranger than the rest of her, and she heard a tearing sound as something extended from her back.

Sensations she had never felt before shot through her as wind whistled between _ -feathers? _

Ruby flexed new, powerful muscles as she fell, and found her direction and speed of descent change. She aimed herself for a building against a cavern wall, and managed a three points-of-contact landing on its highest floor.

A door directly in front of her exploded open almost immediately, revealing a position of White Fang members, both of whom immediately trained their rifles on her, before slowly back away.

“What the…” One of them said, looking slightly past her. Ruby noticed, much to her amusement, that the man wore a pair of glasses over the top of his mask.

Ruby felt her fight-or-flight reflex rising, only that flight wasn’t a option. Still, she looked behind her, as the strange feeling extended from her back once again, and she stopped, almost in shock.

Massive black wings had spread from her back, each wing larger than the rest of her, the tips of each feather fading into red, much like her hair. Following where she presumed the bones were inside of her wings, white, bony plating followed, over which thin, glowing red lines traced themselves, and Ruby knew the same lines traced over the rest of her body as well.

Ruby abruptly curled slightly inwards as she felt more of herself change. Something formed over her face and lower arms, including her hands. She glanced down inside her _ -mask- _ to look, and saw that her hands had been covered in the same bony plating, which, after her fingers ended, tapered off into short, thin blades.

_ Well, this proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Raven wasn't lying. _

She looked up at the men, who were still slowly backing away in fear. Stark terror radiated from their Auras.

_ Maybe I can use this… _

“You.” When Ruby spoke, she noticed that her full-face mask gave her voice a bit of an echo. “Take me to your camp.”

“O-okay… Ma’am.” The one with glasses responded, fearful respect in his shaking voice. He turned, and began to lead his companion and Ruby out of the room. “Th-this way…”

Ruby smiled as she followed him. She glanced at a still-intact window as she did do, and saw her mask. It was an exact replica of Raven Branwen’s. 

…

…

[Ruby! Where are you!?] Weiss frantically screamed at her, mentally.

_ [There's no need to scream, Weiss. I'm fine. I fell into a hole to an underground section of the city, and I've intimidated a pair of White Fang members into taking me to their hideout.] _

[That's a relief. Professor Oobleck is lecturing us on the underground areas. We found a hole in the middle of the street with Crescent Rose next to it. Is that where you fell in?]

_ [Yes.] _

[Oh, if you were wondering, I didn't tell the others about our telepathy. I told them that I woke up to use the bathroom and you weren't there.]

_ [Good thinking. I honestly wasn't thinking about that.]  _ Ruby admitted.

[Not surprised. If I may ask, how did you intimidate the White Fang without your weapon?]

Ruby hesitated briefly.

_ [You'll see when you catch up.]  _ She finally responded.

“We're almost there.” The terrorist with glasses spoke up, still terrified. Sure enough, she heard more voices up ahead, and machinery noises.

“Where are we, exactly?” She asked the two.

“One of-one of the old subway stations. Station eight.”

_ [I'm at subway station eight. Do you have a map of the city?] _

[Yes. I'll start trying to direct them in the direction.]

_ [Alright. I'll see you when you get here.] _

_ I should conceal myself somewhat.  _ Ruby realized as the two White Fang members walked out of the shadows into a lighted area. She pulled up her hood, and tucked her wings close to her body, somewhat wrapping them around her torso.

That done, she stepped into the lighted area of the cavern.

Several White Fang members stopped what they were doing to stare at her. She ignored them, instead focusing on what they had been doing.

Most of them, she noticed had been packing up various electronics, moving around crates and boxes, or running maintenance on various mechanical or electronic devices. Including, she noticed, several Atlasian Paladin mechs.

_ Just who is funding the White Fang? _

Shortly, Ruby and the two White Fang members who were guiding her came to a train, in the process of being loaded with boxes of Dust.

“Is that where the leader of your cell is?” She asked.

“Uh… Yeah?” The one with glasses was the one to respond, again.

“Tell him you have something to show him.”

“O-okay.” The man turned, and yelled into the train. “H-hey boss! F-found something you might want to see!”

“Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day.” Out of the train came the voice of Roman Torchwick.

_ Of course it's him. _

“It's… Uh… You should see for yourself, boss.” Perry’s voice cracked in fear as Ruby flexed her wings back to their full span.

Roman stuck his head out of the train’s door, and stopped as he spotted Ruby. Shock ran through his aura.

“Hello again, Roman.”

...

...

{End Chapter 4}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know how you think this chapter was!


	5. Rather Appropriate, Considering He's A Corgi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's early for once!  
> Please enjoy!

“Red? What the…” Roman Torchwick said, stepping out of the train car to get a better look at the Grimm girl standing behind the two White Fang members who had led her there.

“Surprised?” Ruby asked him, smiling under her mask at the shock on his face.

[We're almost there, Ruby!] Weiss's voice sounded in her head.

“What…” Roman said again, apparently having a hard time comprehending Ruby's current appearance.

Ruby laughed at his befuddlement, again stretching her wings to their full span, causing both of the faunus between her and Roman to scuttle off in opposite directions.

“Well, I can't say I expected this when I woke up this morning.” Roman commented, recovering his wits. “Say, you look a bit different. New haircut?” He snarked.

Ruby laughed again, amused.

“You could say that.”

Roman snapped his cane-gun into his hands and aimed it at her as she answered.

“So, Red, if I can ask… How did you find this place?” 

Ruby yet again laughed at him.

“You're not as hard to find as you-” She was cut off by an explosion a short distance away.

_ [Was that you?]  _ Ruby mentally asked Weiss.

“Oh, what the... Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that?” Then addressed the White Fang member with his glasses over his mask, who, unlike his partner, had stuck around near Roman and Ruby.

The man nodded, and left to investigate.

[Yes, it was. We're here!]

_ [Alright. Do me a favor, and direct the rest of the team towards the train, but don't go yourself.] _ Ruby told her, before spinning around and smashing a bone-plated fist into Roman's face. He staggered back as another explosion sounded, closer this time, and Ruby took the opportunity to activate her semblance and leave Torchwick behind.

[Okay…] Weiss sounded a bit confused.

Ruby ignored it as she leapt into the air, her powerful wings propelling her upward.

She landed on the still of a window three stories above the ground, scanning the cavern floor for her team. It didn't take long, after all, they were in the midst of a running firefight.

_ [Alright, Weiss, I see you and the others. Can you lag behind a bit?] _

[Okay…] Weiss again sounded confused, but as Ruby watched, she began to slow, and as the rest of the team rounded a corner, Weiss stayed behind.

Ruby slipped from her perch, carefully gliding down to the heiress, using smoke generated from the explosions for cover.

She landed softly behind Weiss, who spun around immediately. And stopped dead as soon as she laid eyes on her partner.

“Ruby…?” Weiss's mouth hung open in shock, and she slowly walked towards the other girl, Myrtenaster clenched tightly in her hand.

Ruby unconsciously let go of her current state, and she felt the wings retract into her back, at the same time as her mask and the bony plates on her hands and arms dissolved into black rose petals.

“What…?” Weiss looked at Ruby, uncomprehending. 

“Weiss, I'll explain later, alright? For now we need to go, and rejoin the others.” Ruby told her, as another explosion went off.

“I… Alright.” Weiss nodded shortly, still looking at Ruby with confusion.

She turned again, and the two of them ran forward, rounding the corner and sprinting to catch up with Oobleck and the rest of Team RWBY.

“I found her!” Weiss yelled, as the two neared the rest of the team.

“Ruby!” Yang shouted, and promptly glomped her sister.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked her.

“I'm fine, I'm fine! But listen! Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there.” She said, as the last vestiges of her darker, Grimm nature faded into her mental background.

“What?” Blake asked, apparently wanting clarification, as she handed Ruby Crescent Rose.

“Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars.” She informed the rest of the team.

“Ahhhh, that's ridiculous. These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead-end.” Oobleck spoke up.

The PA system in the cavern activated, and Roman Torchwick spoke over it.

“Get to your places, we are leaving now!” He ordered.

Almost immediately, the train began to move.

“Well, it sounds like they're going somewhere.” Yang commented.

“We need backup. Let me call Jaune.” Ruby said, and rapidly dialed him on her scroll, which again informed her that it had low signal.

“Nevermind.” She said, and tucked the small device back into where it had been.

“So, what do we do?” Weiss asked.

“I believe we only have one option.” Oobleck responded.

“We're stopping that train.” Ruby ordered.

…

…

“Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!” Oobleck told the team, stating the obvious, as seemed to be a trait of his.

“Err... Professor?” Weiss semi-asked, apparently more trying to get his attention than anything else. Ruby and Oobleck walked over to her, as she pointed down into a hatch to the train's interior.

“Doctor.” Oobleck seemingly-automatically corrected.

“What's that?” Weiss asked him, still pointing.

“That my dear... Appears to be a bomb.” Oobleck answered.

Everyone else present cringed away from the hatch.

Ruby caught the sound of heavy footsteps on metal, and glanced towards the front of the train.

“We've got baddies!” She yelled, pointing forwards. Several White Fang members had emerged from the cars ahead of them, and were helping since of their compatriots climb up the sides of the train.

“Well, I didn't expect them to go easy on us.” Oobleck commented, as the bomb below them began to beep. “Time to go!”

The team and Oobleck promptly fled that car. Ruby, who had been standing the closest to the front, was thus the first to make it to the next car.

“Blake! Detach the caboose or it will kill us all!”

Ruby paused as she continued forwards. In seconds she heard the noise of a train car decoupling, and heard Blake yell to the professor.

“It decoupled itself!” She shouted.

“What?!” Oobleck sounded confused, and Ruby began to move towards the front of the train again.

“I guess he really doesn't want us on this train!” As Yang yelled her opinion, Ruby came to another hatch into the train car. Glancing into it, she could see that the contents were identical to the detached car. As she glanced up to inform the others, the detached car exploded.

“That's not good!” Oobleck commented.

“Neither is this!” Ruby yelled, pointing into the hatch.

“Another bomb?!” Blake asked.

Oobleck abruptly looked around, then shot forwards to the next car.

“No. No. No.” He yanked open the hatch, peered inside, then turned back to his students.

“They all have bombs!” He shouted.

The bomb on the car Team RWBY stood atop began to charge up, and the car decoupled itself, resulting in the team sprinting to the next car. Ruby glanced ahead, and saw that the White Fang had mostly finished climbing the train. Ruby and the others charged forwards, moving two cars ahead.

“Get the humans!” One of them shouted, as a few of them leaped onto the car Team RWBY and the professor stood atop, and Ruby noticed a few Atlesian paladin mechs atop the train a few cars down.

She ducked forwards, smashing Crescent Rose into the first one aboard, knocking him back onto the next car.

An explosion sounded as Ruby did the same to the next terrorist, and Yang kicked one into a pair who stood ready to leap onto their car. The White Fang briefly backed down as Oobleck yelled out to the team the conclusion he had apparently just come to.

“He's leading Grimm to the city!”

Ruby spun around.

“What?!” Weiss shouted.

“It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!” 

“That's insane!” Blake yelled.

“We have to hurry! You three, go below and try to stop those bombs!” Oobleck gestured to Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

_ [Stay in touch, Weiss.] _

[I will.]

“What about us?” Ruby yelled.

“We're going to stop this train!”

“Yeah, I know. I said that earlier.” Ruby snarked.

…

…

“What?” Ruby yelled, having not heard Oobleck’s command. She'd been too distracted by a familiar dark red Aura abruptly appearing in the train car below her.

“I said, you go on ahead!” The professor yelled.

“But-!”

“Don't worry, Ruby! It's time... I teach them a lesson!” Doctor Oobleck promptly moved to attack two incoming Paladins.

As she left, Ruby noticed Zwei starting up at her with a sad-puppy expression. 

_ Rather appropriate, considering he’s a corgi. _

“Go.” She told the canine, who barked happily, and ran off to join Oobleck.

Ruby sprinted to the front of the train, rejoining her teammates, who were emerging from the train.

In the distance, Ruby could see the wall marking the end of the tunnel.

“What do we do?” Blake asked.

Ruby turned to look at Weiss, who smiled, and drove Myrtenaster into the train car’s roof. Ice formed around the team, protecting then as the train smashed through the wall.

…

…

_ [Is everyone alright?]  _ Ruby asked her team as she emerged from the debris, briefly forgetting that only Weiss had thus far proven to be able to hear her telepathy.

[I'm good.] The heiress in question responded.

“I'm alright.” Blake spoke up, thus confirming that she could hear a direct telepathic question.

“I'm fine.” Yang said, throwing a piece of wall off of herself.

The Grimm attack sirens began to go off, as Ruby felt the malicious, hungry voids appear behind her.

Despite herself, she grinned as her bloodlust rose.

…

…

“Nora smash!” The diminutive huntress yelled as Ruby watched her crush a King Taijitu’s head with a single blow as she spun through the air.

Ruby grinned, and spun around to continue slaughtering the soulless members of her kind.

She hacked an Ursa’s head off, before flipping end over end to rip a Beowulf in half.

Ren joined her, firing StormFlowers at different targets.

[So, I take it your mission failed?] He asked her.

_ [Yeah. About the only useful thing to come out of it was that I figured out how to trigger a limited transformation.]  _ Ruby told him as she raised Crescent Rose to use her sniper rifle components.

[What do you mean?] Nora asked this time.

_ [Short version is, I'm similar to the two of you. Not the same, though. No halves about me.]  _ She said, as she fired off several shots, each round fatal to another Grimm.

[I don't quite get it… But Okay!] Nora told her.

“Nobody move! Junior detectives!” Ruby heard Sun Wukong yell, the monkey faunus having just arrived.

“We have badges so you know it's official!” She heard Neptune shout as well.

Ruby turned to look at the two, just in time to catch the Atlesian fleet move in to drop off troops.

_ The cavalry has arrived. _

…

…

“Well, we did it.” Yang said, as Team RWBY and Zwei sat on the edge of Beacon Academy's airdock, watching the sunset.

“We did it.” Blake seemed to feel the need to confirm.

“If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed.” Weiss commented.

“Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it.” Yang replied. Ruby briefly had to suppress a grin at the absurdity of that sentence, then she turned serious again.

“Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was.” She said.

“Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending.” Weiss mused.

“We might not have all the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we could be proud of.” Blake spoke up again.

“Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them.” Ruby picked up where Blake had left off.

“Yay, teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright, good job... So, what now?” Yang asked, lying down on her back.

“I suggest training for the tournament, but I guess we have that covered at this point.” Weiss said, as Ruby caught a telepathic message.

“So then…” Blake trailed off.

“Uhh... Time for bed?” Ruby suggested.

…

…

_ [Weiss. You awake?] _

[Barely. What is it?]

_ [Can you come with me?] _

[Alright. Why?] 

_ [I've got some things I need to talk about, and some answers for you. And a few questions of my own.] _

…

…

_ [Hello again, Raven. Was that you on the train?] _ Ruby asked the swordswoman as she and Weiss arrived at the Academy’s courtyard. Ruby had had to guide Weiss there, as the heiress lacked Ruby's enhanced senses.

[Yes, it was. I wasn't going to let Yang die, after all.] Raven turned to face the two as she spoke. Her mask was over her face, and Ruby could tell that Weiss could recognize that it was the same design as the one Ruby had... Worn, earlier that day.

_ [I figured that.] _ Ruby said.  _ [Weiss, this is Raven. Raven, this is Weiss.] _

Raven dipped her head in acknowledgement, then removed her mask.

_ [You told me the next time we met that you'd tell me…] _ Ruby trailed off.

[Does she know?] Raven asked.

_ [No. Not really, I mean, she saw me with my mask and wings…] _ Ruby trailed off again.

[Do I know what?] Weiss asked, confusion evident.

[Do you care to show her?] Raven queried.

[Show me what?] Weiss asked.

Ruby brought her hand up to her mouth.

_ [This.] _

She bit down, hard. Black blood slowly flowed from the wound, and Ruby brought her hand away from her mouth to show Weiss, who backed away in shock.

[Ruby?!]

_ [Now you know what I am. What Raven is.] _

[Only Grimm have black blood-] Weiss stopped dead, and slowly began to back away.

_ [Yeah.] _

[How-? Why-? But you have an Aura! I've felt it!]

[Do you mean how Ruby is a Grimm, or how Grimm can have Auras in general?]

[How is Ruby-?] Weiss didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence, and the look of shock and almost-betrayal caused Ruby to curl in on herself.

[Ruby is a Grimm because Summer Rose and I were.]

_ [Wait, what?] _

[I said that the next time we met, I would tell you who your father is. I am, Ruby.]

[What.] Weiss sounded like she'd just given up on logic.

[As long as one is physically capable of carrying the child to term, the sexes of the Grimm in question don't matter. I'm Yang's mother because Taiyang Xiao Long is human, and Qrow is male. Yang was to be Tai and Qrow’s child, and Ruby was to be mine and Summer’s. Before…] Raven looked off into the distance and shuddered.

_ [So, you're Yang's mother, but my father?] _ Ruby asked, trying to keep everything straight.

[Yes.]

_ [Do you mind if I call you mom anyway?] _

[No.]

[Bizarre family situations aside, what do I have to do with this?]

[You're a Grimm too, like it or not.] Raven bluntly told her.

[No. No I'm not.] Weiss said.

_ [Do what I did earlier if you don't believe us.] _

Weiss smirked, and did so. Black blood dripped from the wound. The heiress stared at it.

[Wha-]

[You died.] Raven stated. [The night of the Beacon Dance. You died, and Ruby unconsciously activated powers bordering on reality warping to bring you back.]

[How-]

[I'll break it down for you.] Raven told her. [Just like I did for Ruby that night.]

[Please-] Weiss cut herself off, looking up at Raven. She seemed almost in shock.

[Ruby is a Grimm born in human shape, and with a soul, but nevertheless, a Creature of Grimm, like me. We're not normal Grimm, as like I said, we have souls. And because of this fact, our nature as Grimm is different. However, even among souled Grimm, Ruby and I are unique. The power she used to bring you back is a power she alone has. Only one can have this power at a time, and it is the same with several abilities I wield. There are four Grimm, including us, with unique powers, and we are collectively referred to as the Riders. I am the Red Rider, and I will not speak of my powers now. Ruby is the Pale Rider, and her powers concern death. These powers are passed on only by the death of the Rider, and go to the Rider's killer, unless they were killed by a being without a soul, in which case they go to the last one the Rider was thinking about.]

[So, I died, and Ruby activated her powers to resurrect me?]

_ [Honestly, Weiss? I freaked out when you died and kinda broke. When I came to again, you were…] _

[It's not quite resurrection. What she did was salvage your soul from your dying body, destroy said body, and recreate a new one around your soul. The new body, however, is the same kind as ours. A human Grimm.]

[So… I’m…] Weiss looked down at her hands, one still conveyed in black blood.

[Summer and I called those like you her Praetorians. You'll find that this body is much stronger, tougher, and faster than your old one. And that you have far more abilities than you used to.]

[I'm a monster…] Weiss still simply stood there in shock.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss.

_ [No. No you're not. For one thing…]  _ Ruby hesitated.  _ [No. It's not the time or place for that.]  _ She had been about to confess to Weiss that she loved her, but decided against it at the last second.

[For what?] Weiss asked, turning slowly. [If you have something to say about me, say it!] Ruby saw tears in Weiss's eyes as the conversation weighed down on her, and the last few days' odd events clicked into place and began to make sense.

_ Here goes nothing. _

_ [Weiss, do you think I'd love a monster?] _

[I don't-Why?] 

_ [Because I love you.]  _ Ruby extended her wings, and wrapped both her arms and her wings around Weiss.  _ [I love you, Weiss Schnee.] _

Weiss hugged her back. 

[I don't know-] Weiss paused. [I love you, too.]

Both of them stood there for several seconds, before both broke off the hug. Weiss brushed her fingers against Ruby's wings.

[Your wings… They're beautiful.] Weiss said.

_ [Thanks. And, Weiss? You're not a monster, no matter how much you think you are. What makes one a monster isn't who you are, it's what you do with yourself. The people we fought today are more monsterish than you'll ever be.]  _ She briefly hugged the heiress again.

The two of them smiled at each other, then both seemed to remember that Raven read there, and sheepishly turned to her.

[Sorry.]

[No need to be. I was your age once, too. And Ruby?] Raven ran her gaze over Weiss, before turning to her daughter. [I approve.]

[Are you going to give me the “If you get with my daughter” talk now?] Weiss joked, and Ruby marveled at how rapidly the heiress could mood-swing.

[You're responsible enough to engage in battles to the death to defend innocent people, and have been raised to inherit the largest corporation in the world. I think you're responsible enough I can skip that.] Raven joked back. Or not, Ruby couldn't really tell.

[So, that aside, one if the reasons I came here tonight was to offer some help with some of the basic abilities the two of you now possess. Do you want it?]

Ruby smiled.

_ [What do we start with?] _

[Let's start with flying. Both of you have wings now, even if Weiss hasn't figured out how to extend her’s yet.] Raven declared.

There was a ripping sound from the back of Weiss's combat dress, and a pair of wings extended from her back, almost hitting Ruby.

Ruby ran her hands over the heiress's wings. They were the same as the ones extending from her own back, save for the feather tips fading into white instead of red, and they were slightly larger, as Weiss was larger than Ruby.

[Uhh… Oops? I think I just tore my outfit.]

[Right on cue.] Raven laughed.

_ [Your wings… They're beautiful.] _

[Thank you.]

Raven gave off a small sound of amusement.

[Come on, you two.]

_ [Where are we going?]  _ Ruby asked, turning away from Weiss, but linking hands with her at the same time.

[Beacon Cliff. It's hard to train if there is no altitude difference. Even a few hundred feet makes things much easier.] Raven turned, replaced her mask, and began to walk in the direction of the cliffs.

_ [Alright. Let's go, Weiss.] _

The two set off after Raven, hand in hand.

…

…

{End Chapter 5}

{End, Volume 2}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that wraps up volume 2!  
> As a bit of a side note, all of my writing is going on hiatus for a little over a week. When I return, look forward to new chapters of both Death Has Silver Eyes, and A Rose's Thorns.  
> As always, please let me know how you think this was!


	6. And You Work For Cinder Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry this took so long!  
> Please enjoy!

Ruby stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at a small stone at the edge. “Summer Rose - Thus Kindly I Scatter” was inscribed on it. It was a gravestone, the gravestone of one of Ruby's mothers.Hi

“Hey, mom.” Ruby spoke quietly, her hands clasped in front of her. “I'm sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been... Well, things have been, pretty busy. I mean, I know what I am now. I know who Raven is to me. I… I’ve made my peace with the fact I'm a Rider. I haven't figured out all my powers yet, but with Raven-mom’s help I'll find most of them, I think. I've even made a… Praetorian, I think Raven-mom says you two called them. She's… One of my teammates, a girl named Weiss. She's also kinda… My… Girlfriend. Oh, I haven't told you about my team yet! Yang's also on it, along with another girl named Blake, and together we're Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some... Let's just say, uh, odd teachers. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say; 'like mother, like daughter’! I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But, uh, if I had to guess, I’d say it's because I'm the Pale Rider, but he still hasn't told me for sure... You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow. Oh, and Taiyang’s here too! I've told him I know a bit about myself like that I'm a Grimm with a Soul, but I haven't confessed that I know about the Riders yet, or that I’ve even met Raven-mom, let alone learned about her being my other mom, and that I don't have a dad like that. He raised me, though, so honestly, I'm not really sure what to call him. I guess I'll keep calling him dad. He's still teaching at Signal, though, if you were wondering. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you. I know Raven-mom does.” She paused her monologue for several seconds, looking at the grey stone forlornly. “I miss you, too.”

A bark behind her clued her in to Taiyang and Zwei's approach.

“Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!”

She began to leave, then stopped, and looked back at the gravestone. 

“It was good to talk.”

She smiled, and left the marker at the cliffside.

…

…

Ruby smiled as she triggered a single shot. The round struck Yang's opponent in the side of his leg, freezing it and his other in place. It has been an Ice Dust round.

“Got your back!” She called out, grinning. 

She heard running footsteps behind her.

“But who's got yours?” A voice asked. Ruby didn't even look, knowing who did.

“I do.” Weiss's voice announced, followed by the sound of one of her launch glyphs, and someone flying through the air.

_ [Thanks.] _

[No problem. I've got to say, the enhanced senses, speed, and strength being a Praetorian gives are useful.]

_ [You're welcome.] _

Ruby continued hunting for another target deeming the huntsman-in-training Weiss had just launched and the one who's legs she'd frozen solid to not be immediate threats.

She was immediately proven wrong as the one Weiss had just launched- _ Bolin Hori, I think- _ landed on his feet, and charged her again.

Ruby grinned, and raised Crescent Rose, converting her into her scythe form, dropping into a melee combat stance.

_ [I've got this guy. Weiss, go help Blake!] _

[On it!]

The Pale Rider felt her Praetorian leave her side, and focused on her opponent. 

Ruby leapt onto the air, activating her semblance to propel her to a position above Bolin. She raised Crescent Rose above her head as she did so, and as she fell following her semblance’s deactivation, she brought Crescent Rose down, hard. 

Bolin, to his credit, recognized that her could not block the blow, instead choose to dodge to the side.

Ruby recovered nigh-instantly as she hit the ground, scything Crescent Rose around at him, giving him little chance to rest and possibly analyze her fighting style.

_ The best defense is a strong offence. Don't give your opponent time to think, Ruby. Even without your semblance, you possess a nearly supernatural speed. Use it.  _ Qrow's words echoed in her mind. Her uncle had given her that advice years ago, when she had first begun to train with him.

She heeded this advice, and continued her assault on Bolin, scoring a few light hits.

He raised his staff as he again leapt backwards, and activated something on it. A pair of small, curved blades extended from the sides of the ends of the weapon.

Ruby stopped her attack, and moved backwards herself, not in fear of the weapon, but in an attempt to lure him into a trap.

The huntsman-in-training took the bait, and for a split second, the Grimm girl was disappointed with him.

_ Really? I was expecting a longer fight… _

She mentally shrugged, and smashed Crescent Rose into Bolin. Or, rather, tried to.

Bolin ducked under the swing, and slammed his staff into Ruby's stomach.

Ruby rapidly generated a layer of Grimm plating under her clothes to absorb the blow, and as a result, the staff ricocheted off of her, and her Aura barely even registered the impact.

They was something she'd learned: if a blow was absorbed by one of the bone-like armor plates that most Grimm naturally had and that she could generate, the blow would barely have any effect on her Aura. This fact was now working to her opponent's detriment.

Bolin stepped back himself, having apparently noticed the muted clack of Ruby's armor deflecting his staff. One of his eyebrows shot up in confusion. 

Ruby smiled slightly, and again set to attacking him.

Bolin raised his staff to block.

This time, she didn't miss.

Crescent Rose struck her opponent’s weapon, and the sheer force behind the strike knocked it clean out of his hands, and flying through the air.

The huntsman-in-training had just enough time to form an expression of slight shock before the Grimm girl sent him flying after his weapon, Aura depleted into the red.

Bolin was out of the match.

“And Bolin Hori is out of the match with his Aura depleted! And a near simultaneous double-whammy elimination of his teammate Reese Chloris by both Aura level and ring-out!”

“Oh, she really should have worn a helmet!”

Ruby heard Professor Port and Professor- _ Doctor- _ Oobleck over the announcement system. Both professors had been giving commentary the entire match, but she'd been ignoring them.

Ruby turned to the sounds of battle, and watched as Blake and Weiss teamed up on the huntsman-in-training Ruby had frozen below the waist earlier. At some point here been unfrozen, but it wasn't helping him much. In just a few seconds, Weiss and Blake reduced his Aura to the red, and he was eliminated.

“And Nadir Shiko is eliminated by Aura level! Team ABRN has been reduced to just their leader, Arslan Altan!” Port commented over the announcement system.

Ruby activated her semblance, and shot forwards, ending up directly beside Yang.

“Push her off?” Yang asked her, reloading Ember Cecilia.

“Yeah.” Ruby nodded, and the two sisters surged forwards, towards their last opponent. 

Arslan, as strong as she was, had already been depleted rather badly by the fight, and was very close to the edge of the arena. Ruby didn't even get to land a blow, as Yang's first hit knocked the other team’s leader out of bounds.

“And Arslan Altan had been eliminated by ring-out! Team RWBY is victorious!”

…

…

“Is anyone else starving?” Ruby asked her team as they walked through the Vytal Festival fairgrounds. While Grimm, even Riders, didn't need eat conventionally, it was still somewhat hard to break the habit, and add far as Ruby could tell, it did still work to give then energy.

_ I should ask Raven-mom about that. _

“I may have worked up an appetite.” Blake responded, stretching with her arms behind her head. Her stomach immediately growled loudly.

“Gee, if only there was somewhere on campus to get food around here. Oh, wait.” Weiss sarcastically responded to her.

“It's okay, Weiss, I forget about the fairgrounds, too.” Ruby replied, just as sarcastic.

“Come on! I know just the place.” Yang told the rest of the team, all of whom began follow her through the crowd.

A few seconds later, Weiss's scroll rang. Ruby's enhanced hearing easily caught it, and she turned to look at her Praetorian.

The other girl was glaring down at the scroll with hatred in her eyes, and her Aura briefly spiked with fury.

_ [Is it your father?]  _ Ruby gently mentally queried her girlfriend.

[Yes.] Weiss tapped her scroll once, and put it away, call unanswered.

_ [Don't let him spoil your day. You owe that to yourself.] _

As Ruby turned back to Yang and Blake, someone walked into her. They only touched for about a second, but with Ruby's supernaturally sharp senses, she could easily feel someone's hand enter her pocket and remove her wallet, caught a flash of green out of the corner of her eye, and felt a familiar reddish Aura.

Ruby allowed Emerald to walk away with her wallet, curious to see what she'd do. After all, all that wallet contained was some lien.

[You're just going to let her walk off with your wallet?] Weiss asked her, as the two jogged to catch up with Yang and Blake.

_ [All that wallet has done spare lien. I want to see what she does with it. It's not like she stole my scroll or something. There's barely enough lien to buy the two of us ice cream.] _

[Ah.]

Ruby and Weiss caught up with the other two, and almost immediately the thief reappeared.

“Hey! Might be hard to eat without this.” Emerald’s voice called.

Ruby turned sideways, she patted at her pockets to give the illusion that she'd just noticed that her wallet was missing.

Emerald laughed, and handed her the wallet.

“Good to see you, Ruby.” Ruby smiled at her, not giving any outward hints as to what she was thinking.

_ I know who you are, Emerald. I know who you work for. And the instant you become a threat, I'll… Kill you. _ Ruby pushed down her fear at her own bloodthirsty thoughts, reminding herself that the girl in front of her had helped plan the breach, and worked with the woman who'd been the reason Ruby had accidently killed Weiss the night of the Beacon Dance. And who had...

_ You work for Cinder Fall. And thus, indirectly, Salem. And Salem…  _

Ruby briefly saw red. She rapidly forced down her fury, lest she openly display her Grimm traits. Neither Yang nor Blake knew, and besides, they were in the middle of the Vytal Festival fairgrounds. 

“Oh! Thanks, Emerald! Guess I dropped it. Girl pockets are the worst!” She said, instead, and put the wallet away.

“What's up, Em?” Yang asked.

“Just left the stadium after your amazing fight! You guys were awesome!” The green-haired girl gushed. Ruby could tell she was faking it. Her Aura showed her to be more annoyed than anything else.

Ruby didn't know why she was so capable of discerning someone's emotions from their Aura, but she found it very useful, and since Weiss had become her Praetorian, she had gained the ability, too, and had assured Ruby that it wasn't an ability that normal people had.

Ruby forced herself to blush, as if she were accepting Emerald's praise as genuine.

“Oh, hush.” She mumbled.

“I heard your team progressed to the next round too.” Blake spoke up.

“You know, I feel that we haven't seen your other teammates.” Weiss commented, and Ruby could feel her Praetorian felt the same way she did about the girl in front of the team.

“How'd they do in the fight?” Yang asked.

Emerald tilted her head up slightly, and seemed to space out for a few seconds, eyes defocusing.

She nodded slightly as she came back to reality.

“Really well.”

“That's great. Uh, why don't we all go and get a victory food together.” Ruby offered, wanting more time to observe her enemies.

“Oh, gosh, that's so nice of you, but my teammates are all kind of…” Emerald looked behind her, and Ruby saw her teammate and partner-in-crime, Mercury Black, sniffing a leather boot.

“...Introverted. Really socially awkward.” The thief turned back to them.

“You can tell the quality of leather by scent. Good leather has a very distinctive smell, and bad leather stinks horribly.” Ruby commented, and the rest of the team looked at her.

“You're not wrong, but how did you know that?” Blake asked her.

“Another one of Drunkle Qrow's bizarre lessons that I never really learned why he gave it. He spent a full class period teaching everyone various ways to tell the quality of leather.” Ruby responded, truthfully. Qrow had, in fact, given her class a lesson on different ways to tell the difference between various qualities of leather, and she never did find out why. She shrugged. “Why can I say? I've got a weird family.”

“Sounds like it. Sounds like my team.” Emerald commented. “Speaking of my team, it looks like Merc and I are going to move on to the doubles round. What about you guys?” 

_ And there's what you wanted. _

[Should we tell her?]

_ [If we do, we'll have a better chance of figuring out their plans, as they'll plan for what's actually going to happen, plus, it'll build trust. The more they trust us, the less they'll overtly move against us.] _

“We put it to a vote, and we voted for Weiss and Yang.” She told Emerald.

“I will happily represent Team RWBY.” Weiss said, and curtseyed, as Yang smashed her fists together.

“Yeah, we're going to kick some butt!”

“Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya.” Emerald said, laughing.

“Wouldn't have it any other way.” Yang said, and Ruby felt a faint confident smile grace her Praetorian’s face.

“Alright, well, we're going to catch some more fights. Later!” Emerald began to walk away.

“Take care!” Ruby called, waving slightly. 

As Emerald looked back, Ruby grinned at her, and extended her canine teeth into fangs for a split second.

While it didn't show on her face, shock ran through Emerald's Aura.

…

…

“I'll have a bowl of the regular, please.” Yang told the older man at the counter of the noodle stand. He immediately slid a large bowl of noodles on front of her.

“Oohhh... I'll take the same.” Ruby said, and promptly got it.

“Uhh…” Weiss dithered for a few seconds.

_ [Weiss, you don't have to worry about food related things like salt anymore. Just choose that sounds tasty.] _

“Another regular, please.” Weiss said, and got it.

Blake simply nodded at the man, who disappeared into the back of the stand for a few seconds, and returned with a bowl of dish-topped noodles, which he set in front of the cat faunus.

Weiss offered her credit card to the shopkeeper.

“Aw, Weiss! What's the occasion!?”

“Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round.”

Almost immediately, there was a beep from the register, and the card was flung down into the counter, embedding into it. 

Weiss looked up, and the man pointed to his register, which read DECLINED.

“What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!” Weiss rhetorically asked, confused.

As Ruby was thinking about this, Pyrrha's voice sounded behind them.

“Maybe I could help?”

“Pyrrha!” Ruby bounced slightly in her seat. 

“Aw, you don't have to…” Yang said.

“But she could!” Blake responded.

“Well, I think you've earned it after that last battle.”

“Mind if we join you?” Jaune asked.

…

…

“Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?” Ren asked.

“Of course! It'll give you energy.” Pyrrha responded, as the shopkeeper disappeared with the empty bowls.

“If I barf, I'm blaming it on you.” Jaune commented, splayed over the counter.

“Ooh, aim at the enemy!” Nora said, and grinned evilly.

“Nora, that's disgusting. But if you feel the urge…” Ren commented, showing that he wasn't necessarily about the bizarre thought process of his partner.

_ [Just how close are you two?]  _ Ruby asked.

[Not telling!] Nora responded.

“So, you think you're ready?” Ruby asked.

“Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!” Nora responded, gesturing to each of her teammates in turn.

“Are you going to take that?” Ren asked his leader.

“Well, they're not wrong…” The leader in question responded.

“I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding. Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!” Nora began laughing madly, which soon dissolved into sobs.

“So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good.” Ren added, his expression unchanged from Nora's meltdown.

“Don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well… Murderers.” Pyrrha also seemed unaffected.

“Yeah, don't sweat it. We've ask faced worse before.” Yang said.

“Let's see. Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…” Blake counted threats off of her fingers.

“And that's all while were still in training! Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!” Ruby added to the discussion, bouncing in her seat.

“Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal.” Weiss sarcastically mumbled.

Professor Port’s voice crackled once the PA system.

“Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!”

“Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!” Doctor Oobleck added, sounding annoyed.

“Well, it looks like this is it!” Pyrrha said, and the entirety of Team JNPR stood and left, Jaune still looking nauseated, and Nora still depressed.

“Go get ‘em!” Ruby yelled.

…

…

{End Chapter 6}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry for the delays! I'll post the new fic when I can! (At this point, just add 3-4 days to when I say something will be up.  
> Also, please let me know what you think. As I said on A Rose's Thorns, more comments=happier author=quicker chapters.  
> As always, please let me know how you think this was!


	7. Damn It, Uncle Qrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry this took so long!  
> As I said over on A Rose's Thorns, I'm aiming for a one new chapter a week, so please bear with me!  
> Please Enjoy!

“Well, that was an… Interesting match.” Ruby commented, leaning sideways to steal some of Yang's popcorn.

“I’ll say. What was with everyone stopping mid-match to have a discussion?” Weiss asked no one in particular.

_ [Good question. I'll ask.] _ Ruby responded, before mentally reaching out to the team now leaving the arena.  _ [Why did you guys all stop in the middle of the fight?] _ She asked Ren and Nora.

[Jaune tried to use codes that he failed to inform anyone about beforehand.] Ren responded. [So we stopped to ask.]

Ruby relayed this information to Weiss.

[So, are you going to tell Ren and I what you meant by what you said during the breach?] Nora asked Ruby as the smallest member of Team JNPR left the field.

_ [Meet me by Beacon Cliff tonight and I'll show you what I was talking about.] _

[Okay!] With that, Nora cut the link.

[Are you going to tell them everything?] Weiss queried her girlfriend.

_ [No. Just that I'm a Grimm. Not even that you are, too, unless you want me to.] _

[I'll decide that later.]

“Ah, well, Vacuo fans are sure to be hurting after that one, but this next one will have them on the edge of their seats!” Oobleck’s voice boomed out of the PA system. He'd apparently either neglected or forgotten to turn off the crowd-address mode on his microphone, and sounded like he was addressing a television audience, which, to be fair, he probably was.

“Team Indigo of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite, but these lovely ladies are going against some of the toughest, testosterone-filled teammates we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about... Team Sun!” Port’s voice boomed out as well, causing quite a few chuckles from the audience within the colosseum at both announcers’ apparent forgetfulness.

NDGO and SSSN appeared on the massive holographic board.

“Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and although he'll be representing the Mistral Academy of Haven, I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo will be cheering him along!” Port's voice continued to boom from the PA system as the two teams walked out onto the field.

“Good luck, Neptune!” Weiss called.

Neptune didn't seem to hear her, and given the distance, Ruby would have been surprised if he had.

Her attention was yanked away from the field and events on it as she felt a pulse touch her Aura. For a brief instant, she got the feel of a dying fire desperately trying to find anything that could keep it burning. She instantly knew what it was. Raven had told both her and Weiss much about the Maidens, and this felt exactly like what Raven had described the Fall Maiden’s Aura like, only far weaker.

Ruby rapidly extended her own Aura in a massively weakened state, tracing back the pulse, and being careful to avoid touching any other Aura. That was something else that Raven had taught her to do, tracing Auras that has touched hers back to their source.

[You felt that, right?] Weiss queried her.

_ [Yes, I did. I'm tracing it now.]  _ Ruby responded.  _ [I think that was the Fall Maiden. She seems to be down in the Beacon Vaults.]  _ The Pale Rider added after a few seconds.

[Nothing we can do now, then.]

Both turned their attention back to the field.

The usual holographic roulette had appeared, and had landed on an image of dunes and stone, which were emerging from the ground as a shell circular light appeared from overhead.

“Alright! Home field advantage!” One of the NDGO members laughed at the battlefield selection, her voice temporarily amplified by the arena's systems.

“Don't get too cocky! That's my turf, too!” Sun responded, as his teammate Scarlet looked down at his feet.

“I hope I don't get sand in my shoes.” He commented, and Neptune leaned over to whisper something to him as the holographic roulette appeared once more. This time, it settled on the ocean.

“Hey! The ocean!” One of the NDGO members commented on this.

And Neptune apparently began to panic.

“Uhh, what's wrong with Neptune?” Ruby asked her teammates, wondering if anyone knew.

“Oh, no.” Blake spoke first, her hand covering her face. “Neptune's... Afraid of the water.”

Oobleck's voice once again came on over the announcement system.

“3, 2, 1, begin!”

…

…

“Aw, that was so close!” Ruby bounced in her seat slightly, before leaning back.

“Looks like the dorks made it to the next round!” Yang commented.

“Emphasis on 'dork’.” Blake added.

“That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Coliseum in a calm and orderly fashion!” Oobleck told the colosseum audience, shouting the end of the second sentence, and the system clicked off.

“Come on, let's go congratulate 'em.” Yang told the rest of Team RWBY as they all stood, and began to lead the others away.

Weiss and Ruby began to follow, but as Weiss stopped, so did Ruby.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked. In a public place, they didn't use telepathy when the lack of apparent communication would have been awkward to onlookers.

“She's here.” Weiss replied, simply. She didn't need to say any more. Ruby knew exactly who her Praetorian was talking about.

“Then let's go meet her.”

…

...

“Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... Different.” Winter Schnee said as she stepped off of her airship.

“Well, it's fall, so it's probably colder.” Ruby said, trying to break the ice. Weiss shot her a look. 

“So, what are you doing here?” Weiss asked her sister, turning back to her.

“Classified.” A one word response.

“Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?” Weiss asked another question.

“Classified.” And was met with the same response.

There were a few seconds of silence. Ruby was tempted to try and fill out, but decided against doing so.

“You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas!” Weiss bounced slightly in place, and lowered her voice. “Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it? I-” Winter cut her sister off, and Ruby growled very quietly. Winter didn’t seem to have much respect for her younger sister, and Ruby didn't like people disrespecting Weiss.

_ I will not allow that. _

“I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. That is not why I came.” The elder Schnee said, and Ruby found her opinion of Winter being a very haughty and slightly snobbish individual more and more confirmed. She briefly wondered when she'd begun to try and categorize people, but the topic held no interest for her, and she went back to paying attention to the events at hand.

“Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter.” Winter was saying.

“But, we won?” Weiss half-asked, confused.

“Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed-”

“So what?” Ruby interrupted Winter. Both Schnee sisters looked at her, and Ruby crossed her arms.

“Form and perfection aren’t relevant. How many strikes you miss doesn't matter, nor does how many blows you land, so long as you take your opponent out before you go down.” Ruby stated, looking Winter in the eye. “What matters is that in the end, we won.”

Winter blinked, as her Aura evidenced surprise, and Ruby imagined that she wasn't used to being talked to in such a manner.

“Well.” Winter said after a few seconds, and when Ruby dropped her arms, she seemed to take it as a sign that Ruby was finished, dismissed her android guards, and turned to Weiss.

“That aside, how have you been?” Winter asked her younger sister, seeming to ignore Ruby and her outburst.

“Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-” Weiss moved fast enough her hand was a blur as she brought it up to deflect a slap from her sister. The Pale Rider felt her Praetorian flash-form her armor over just her right hand. 

Winter blinked again in shock, and Ruby felt Weiss deconstruct her armor as rapidly as she formed it. 

Weiss dropped her hand down to her side.

“I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been.” Winter had apparently decided to ignore that her attempt at smacking Weiss had ever happened. “Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?”

“I’ve made more than just friends. Winter…” Weiss blushed, took a breath, and turned to Ruby. “This is Ruby, and she's… My…” Weiss didn't seem to be fully capable of finishing her sentence. 

“I'm her girlfriend.” Ruby said, bowing slightly. “My name's Ruby Rose.” She extended her hand.

Winter took it, studying Ruby very carefully, given what had just been said.

“Her… Girlfriend…” Winter whispered, very quietly. If it weren't for her enhanced hearing, she'd have never heard it. 

“Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister.” Winter said. Ruby nodded, and smiled, grinning wider internally at the awkwardness of the Atlesian specialist.

“Sorry about earlier. I just don't like it when people talk to Weiss like that.”

“An admirable trait.” Winter commented. “It reminds me of a man I know.”

“Is it by any chance a guy named Qrow Branwen? He's my uncle.” Ruby queried.

“Yes, and that explains a lot.” Winter said, and Ruby read amusement in her Aura.

“That aside,” Winter said, turning back to Weiss once again. “I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?”

“Really?” Weiss asked.

“Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards.”

“Just saying right now, the bunk beds only look unstable.” Ruby informed her.

“Bunk beds?” Winter sounded genuinely confused.

“Bunk beds.” Weiss confirmed.

…

…

“Hey!” Ruby heard her uncle's voice as the head of one of Winter’s androids bounced across the ground behind them. “Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!” 

Ruby sighed as she turned around.  _ Damn it, Uncle Qrow. _

_ [He's not talking about you.]  _ Ruby told her girlfriend, trying to forestall any argument between her uncle and her girlfriend.

“Uncle Qrow, please stop.” Ruby stepped out in front of the others.

“Ruby, what’ch you doing here?” The Pale Rider’s inebriated uncle stopped in confusion.

“Meeting my girlfriend’s sister.” Ruby replied, crossing her arms. “And you’re drunk again. I can smell the alcohol from over here.” She sighed.

“What of it?” Qrow seemed surprised that Ruby thought his drunken state worth notice. Ruby just sighed again, and turned to the others.

“I’d hoped to be able to introduce him while he’s sober, but…” Ruby sighed for the third time in under a minute, and shook her head.

_ [Then again, he’s usually at least buzzed.] _

[Somehow, I’m not surprised. You know, in other circumstances, I’d find this comical.]

Qrow snorted slightly at something Winter had said as another, rather absurd telepathic message distracted Ruby.

_ [No, I don’t know. And I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules. So, don’t do it, Nora.] _

[Why? Just, why? Hey, Ren? Can you restrain Nora for a while?] Weiss added to Ruby’s statement.

“You Atlas specialists think you’re so special, don’t you?” Qrow said, apparently trying to goad Winter into a fight, and this Ruby actually caught, Nora’s antics-to-be distracting her.

“It's in the title.” Winter responded.

“Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss.” Qrow told her, his voice becoming taunting.

“I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough.” Winter began to allow some of the annoyance Ruby could feel in the elder Schnee’s Aura bleed into her voice.

“Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin.” 

This got a response. Winter’s Aura showed fury, and she stormed forwards, pushing Weiss aside as she did so.

“Weiss, it's time for you to go.” Winter sounded as furious as Ruby read.

“What?” Weiss mimicked confusion, though Ruby could tell that her Praetorian was more annoyed than anything else.

“Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?” Qrow taunted once more.

“If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!” Winter surged forwards, drawing her blade and splitting it into two as she did so.

“Schnee!”

Everyone turned to see General Ironwood standing at the edge of the courtyard, Penny next to him.

Ruby read frustration in his Aura, but Penny seemed to be more scared than anything else.

Winter lowered her swords.

“General Ironwood, sir!” The Atlesian did a perfect military about-face to her superior.

“What in the world do you think you're doing?” The General sternly asked, having crossed the courtyard to where the small group stood.

“He started the altercation, sir!”

“I know that isn't true.” Ironwood responded, and sighed, much as Ruby had been repeatedly doing. “And you.” He said, rounding on the inebriated man, as the drunk uncle pointed to himself in mock confusion.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-” 

“Now, now, everyone.” Professor Ozpin, as he frequently did, walked out of absolutely nowhere, and into the courtyard, Glynda at his side. “There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats… And popcorn. There is no need to start one here.”

“Let's go.” Ironwood said, conceding to the Headmaster of Beacon's logic, and left with Winter and Penny in tow. Ruby waved at the robot girl as she left, and Penny timidly waved back.

Ruby nodded, and walked over to her Uncle. Normally, she'd run at him and jump onto one of his arms like an overexcited puppy, but the last few weeks had tempered her somewhat.

So instead she settled for hugging him, despite her exasperation with his earlier actions.

“Didja miss me, Drunkle Qrow?” She asked, and Qrow affectionately patted her head before replying.

“Nope.” He said, grinning, before becoming somewhat serious. “So, what was this about a girlfriend?”

“Qrow! A word.” Ozpin called.

“Never mind. We'll talk about that later. See ya, kid.” With that, Qrow left.

“I wonder what they want to talk about…” Weiss wondered. “So, that was your uncle?”

“Yeah. He’s never been too fond of military-related things, and he's usually drunk.” Ruby explained. “I had hoped that we could catch him in a moment of sobriety later, but now…” She trailed off.

“I honestly found that to be rather amusing.” Weiss commented with a smile. Ruby smiled back, and changed topics.

_ [So, about that apparent meeting… Any ideas on how to get in?] _

Weiss smiled.

[Just one. Follow me.]

…

…

{End Chapter 7}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know how you think this was!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. As I said on A Rose's Thorns, more comments=happier author=quicker chapters, so please leave a comment!


End file.
